CH 47

Increasing our pace had an effect, because we reach the next town in five days.

The merchant caravans never reached us again either.

As soon as we enter this town, we head right for the merchant guild. I don’t want to get in trouble later because they came here and told them things that didn’t happen.

I did overcharge them, but that’s not seen as a problem as long as the buyer agrees to pay for it, so the guild has nothing to do with it.

“Are we traveling by wagon next?”

“Yes, I managed to get a reservation this time. We’ll leave in two days, so let’s look around this town in the meantime.”

“And look for tasty things.”

I don’t think it’s my imagination, she really is more fired up than usual.

We find ourselves an inn first, and then walk around town. Hikari is drawn by the smell coming from the stalls, but I tell her to contain her gluttony because I don’t want her to spoil her appetite for dinner.

I buy rare fruits and vegetables, and different kinds of meat. I don’t see any fish being sold in this town.

The next day, we go around the food stalls like I promised. We eat lots of tasty things, and I find some things I want to take with me if I can. Is Spatial Magic going to reach maximum level soon? Its proficiency has been increasing slowly ever since it reached level eight, and there’s no sign that it will level up again any time soon. At its current level, things that would spoil in one day last for five days inside the box.

I buy medicinal herbs and magic energy herbs too, and the person selling them is surprised to see me buy only ones in good condition. The quality of the herbs influences the quality of the potions, so I always want good ones if I can get them.

Even a great alchemist isn’t going to make high quality potions with low quality materials.

I get everything I need, and I’m all set by the time we get on the horsebus.

When we’re about to leave, I see there are some people flustered about a merchant caravan being late. Is it related to the ones from before?

“Are you going to the Holy City of Messer, young man?”

“That’s the idea.”

“I knew it. The advent festival is almost here.”

“Advent festival?”

“You don’t know? It’s a festival to celebrate the goddess descending to our world and giving us her blessing. People gather there from all over the country.”

“Is that so? So that’s why there are so many wagons going to the holy city.”

“Yes. And apparently there will be a ceremony to introduce a new saint. There have been rumors about her for a while, but it seems her big reveal is finally going to take place. Nothing will change anyway, unless there is some sort of problem, so it’s kind of like a bonus for us.”

If that’s true, I want to get to the holy city quickly. If I can’t get an inn, can we sleep outdoors? I’d rather camp than stay in a cheap, big room.

I’m not going there for this advent festival in the first place, I’m going for the slavers. If I don’t find what I’m looking for there, I could leave that same day. But will Hikari abandon the idea of going around the food stalls there? If I insist, she’ll obey me in the end, but I know she’s looking forward to it, so I want to stay there for at least one night.

The wagon is moving along smoothly. There are a few caravans coming along with us, and the adventurers escorting them seem to be doing their job.

But something happens as we approach a village at the half-way point.

“Hey, something’s not right.”

Someone whispers.

We can see the village in front of us, and the place where there should be a gate is broken.

The wagon stops, and a few adventurers run there, while the rest cautiously look around.

I check Map and notice something.

I haven’t been on a horsebus in a while, and being with all these people made me get careless. I always checked this, but I neglected to this time.

The village isn’t that big, but I’m picking up too few reactions of people.

“Master, I smell blood.”

And from inside the village, I pick up reactions from monsters. Those are orcs.

Is the village under attack right now?

I hear screams and the sound of metal clashing.

I don’t know the current situation in there, but I see someone exit the village. That person doesn’t look like an adventurer, I think it’s a villager.

The adventurers get closer and listen. The villager is pale and trembling, but still musters up the strength to talk.

Some of the adventurers who hear this run back to the merchants, and some disappear into the village.

“What’s the matter, master?”

“We’re going too. They’re fighting something in there.”

“Hey hey young man, that’s too dangerous. Let the experts handle this, people like us will just get in the way.”

“Don’t worry, I have a great guard with me.”

I say while patting Hikari’s head, and the other person looks at me with a baffled expression.

But that doesn’t stop me, and Hikari and I jump down from the wagon and run towards the village.

“Hey hey. Where do you think you’re going?”

An adventurer stops us when we are about to enter the village.

“There’s a battle going on. It’s dangerous.”

“What are you fighting?”

“…Orcs.”

“How many?”

“I don’t know?”

“Can the people that went in hunt orcs?”

“…If a few of them hit them, yes.”

After hearing this, I don’t say anything else and run in. I can hear the adventurer yelling behind me, but I can’t stop and listen.

“Hikari, take the right side and save people inside the houses. If you come across orcs, you can beat them back, but focus on saving the villagers.”

“Got it. Be careful master.”

We split up. Hikari should be able to detect when there are people nearby.

My task is to save people on the left side. I see adventurers and a villager fighting an orc. Should I take care of this first?

I erase my presence with Presence Concealment and get close. The three people fighting should be able to see me, but they don’t notice me. I swing my sword down and slash the orc from the back. It dies without even knowing what happened to it, and the three people that were fighting it finally snap out of it when they hear the thud of the orc falling.

“T-thank you. You saved us.”

“I’m looking for survivors. Lead me to them.”

“A-all right, this way.”

We find and take back surviving villagers. I end up only taking back seven villagers, but even after adding the ones Hikari saves, we only save twelve.